Hamas has resumed voting to elect the head of its political bureau, the movement’s highest leadership position, after an initial round last month failed to produce a winner. The process was delayed after some voters submitted blank ballots rather than backing any candidate.
Former political bureau chief Khaled Meshaal and Khalil al-Hayya, the movement’s chief in Gaza and head of its negotiating team in ceasefire talks, are competing for the post.
Two Hamas sources in Gaza told Asharq Al-Awsat that voting in the runoff round has begun in the enclave. One source said eligible voters are participating through a more secretive and complex process because of difficult security conditions and ongoing targeted killings.
Hamas is facing its most severe crisis since its founding in 1987. Israeli operations launched after the October 7, 2023 attack have targeted the movement across multiple levels and branches, creating significant organizational and financial challenges.
The two sources, speaking separately, said ballots are being delivered to eligible voters in sealed envelopes. After selecting a candidate, voters return their ballots through channels governed by strict security procedures designed to protect both participants and those overseeing the election process.
The political bureau chief is elected by the movement’s Shura Council, a 71-member body representing Hamas’s three main constituencies: Gaza, the West Bank, and the external leadership. The council had 50 members about a decade ago, but its size was later expanded following amendments to the movement’s internal regulations.
The sources said voting is also expected to take place in the West Bank and among Hamas officials abroad, although neither could confirm whether the process has already begun in those arenas.
A More Secretive Runoff
On May 16, Hamas announced that the first round of voting had failed to determine a winner and said a second round would be held in accordance with the movement’s internal rules.
Under Hamas regulations, the runoff was expected to take place within 20 days. However, sources within the movement said security and political developments, including assassinations in Gaza and meetings between Hamas leaders abroad and regional mediators, delayed the process. They said the new round is being conducted under tighter secrecy than the first to prevent security breaches or media leaks.
Hamas leaders agreed to elect only a political bureau chief for now, postponing broader elections for the political bureau, the Shura Council, and other administrative bodies until early next year.
Israel killed Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July 2024. He was succeeded by Yahya Sinwar, who was killed in Gaza in October of the same year.
For roughly the past year and a half, Hamas has been run by a collective leadership council. Earlier this year, the movement launched a new effort to elect a leader to serve out the remainder of the current political bureau’s term, which was due to end in 2025 but was extended by an additional year, pending broader elections expected late this year or early next year.
Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on May 21 that some voters had cast blank ballots as a way of declining to endorse either candidate, al-Hayya or Meshaal. According to the sources, this was the first known instance of blank ballots being used in a vote for the movement’s top leadership post.
At the time, some sources interpreted the blank ballots as a sign of dissatisfaction with both candidates and possibly with the movement’s handling of certain issues, as well as an effort to encourage the emergence of a younger generation of leaders. Others said the move was not necessarily directed at the candidates themselves but reflected broader objections to some existing policies, or a preference for postponing the election of an interim leader until comprehensive elections are held and the current leadership council remains in place.
